Refer to the recent @TechCrunch example of when your PR play can go just a little off-track!

This is the AS/NZS 4360:2004 we talked about previously.

Soon to have RSS Feed. Set up Google Alerts easily enough, and it’s free. Not foolproof, not immediate, but you will probably find out something soon enough.

It’s the year 2020, and your legs are stretched out under your desk and a coffee is in your hand. You are successful. You did well at university, you qualified as a CPA and deal with challenging, business-related issues every day. Your work is interesting, and you love working with clients. Of course, you did have to take your mother’s maiden name after that unfortunate incident in 2010, but life is good and you’ve got coffee.The telephone rings. Your boss, Jenna, wants you to meet her prospective client. You enter the room and shake the hand of the client, who vigorously pumps your hand. The vigorous pumping suddenly freezes. You know what’s coming. So does Jenna, who glares at you darkly. The client laughs and bursts out, “Hey. I remember you. Aren’t you the one in that video with the llama? You know, the Llama Loser? Nice tattoo by the way.”Your heart sinks – it has happened again. It is difficult to give clients serious business advice when that image keeps playing over in their head. You feel like screaming, “Leave me alone!”

Demographics: Not for profits, Public Sector, SME’s? Corporates? Public Practice.Do the housekeeping items.

WebsitesFacebook and MySpace are the most well-known examples. Blogs such as wordpress.com and livejournal.comYouTube, Flickr, PhotoBucket, Yahoo, TwitterThe CPA Congress 2008 website at cpacongress.ning.com is an example of a private social network. Is it different?Not really, people always talked to each other and said ‘stuff’ – blowing off steamTrouble is those conversations at barbecues were never indexed by Google.Frequently we forget the context of the forum – and its accessibility – and say ‘regrettable’ things.The growth of online social networkingSeptember 2006 – Facebook in AustraliaFebruary 2009 - 4.4 million Australian usersAppears to be here for some time, in some formEmployees expect to have access, customers use it to discuss and evaluate businessesA general distrust of advertising, but a trust of an online user

When the conversation is positive, this is great word-of-mouth advertising. Before the arrival of the internet, the saying was that a customer with good news told three people, whereas a customer with bad news told, at most, ten. Today, the rules have changed. One twenty-something using Twitter on her mobile phone complained about the service from a retail store - whilst still in the store. Her seven hundred and eighty-nine followers immediately received that message. Even worse for the store, the conversation now shows up in internet searches. It is difficult for a business to cope when its customers complain of bad service before the salesman has even noticed them. The challenge is even greater when the business does not realise that the complaint has been made. The business is deaf to this world, and does not hear the customer’s loud complaints at the on-line water-cooler. Prospective customers will quickly find these negative comments. If the business does not hear its customers yelling, customers will likely take their business elsewhere.

There are essentially seven business risks that arise from the use of online social networking.

Transcript of "Leveraging Online Social Networking For Business"

3.
About this presentation
Agenda
• Overview
• Dealing with risk
• The business etiquette of online social networking
• Leveraging business opportunities
• Fifty ideas
• Conclusion
Objectives
• This seminar identifies and discusses prominent social networking websites
and identifies some of the commercial applications that social networking
websites can have for businesses.

4.
About the speaker
Services
• Micheal Axelsen provides consulting services in
the business governance of information
technology, and the development and
implementation of strategies for the management
of information technology
Position and qualifications
• Director of Applied Insight Pty Ltd
• Chair of CPA Australia Information Technology &
Management Centre of Excellence
• Qualifications
– Bachelor of Commerce (Hons)
– Masters of Information Systems
– FCPA

8.
What is social networking?
Definition
– Online social networking sites are web-based
services that allow individuals to construct a public (or
semi-public) profile within a bounded system, identify
other users with whom they share a connection, and
view and traverse their list of connections and those
made by others within the system.
– They are simply websites that allow you to maintain
relationships with friends online, sharing and talking
about common interests
– Some social networking websites are internal
(private) and some are external (public)

9.
The world of online social networking
Image from www.xkcd.com/256 Some Rights Reserved.

12.
What can happen?
Alritey. The names Ryan workin at #### #### At the moment to get the
money to go out and enjoy my much appreciated young life. As far as i
know i enjoy life to the max, i love to get wrecked, mwi and be around
mates and loud music. No better way to spend a weekend than gettin out
my #### in one way or another and be surrounded by loud music and
knowing that i have a stunning girlfriend when i go home.

14.
Business risks of social networking
Productivity losses
– Addictive and time-consuming
– Over-use during work time is a genuine issue
– Can actually increase the productivity and
effectiveness for some roles
Legal risks
– Generally employers can monitor their employees‟
web use and email, but notice is needed. Can result
in legal liability
– Potential for legal liability due to customer actions
Reputation risk
– A risk to the business‟s reputation
– Many examples of gaffes & negative comments
– Difficult to remove these comments

15.
Business risks of social networking
Viruses and spyware
– Frequently a platform for malicious attacks using
viruses and spyware
Privacy breaches and identity theft
– Can promote identity theft, even where „private‟
– Third party applications usually get access to data
Social engineering
– Use online information to commit targeted acts of
fraud
– Could profess to be the assistant to a high-level staff
member, and know enough „internal‟ information to
convince a staff member to provide cheques or goods
– Convincing identity cards/business cards used to gain
access to the business or its customers
– Grandparent fraud

16.
Business risks of social networking
Inadvertent release of information
– Windows into the lives of users
– Unintentional release
– LinkedIn shows your network your recent connections
– who are probably prospective clients
– Using an online wiki to collaborate with a client (or
even to track tasks and manage projects) may result
in the release of confidential client information

23.
Business etiquette
• Encourage discussions to flourish by providing and
promoting the use of online forums.
• Give good service and hope that people talk about it
online
• Demonstrate an interest and respond online to address a
grievance, and be transparent about it
• Consider the use of professional monitoring services
• Use low-cost solutions such as Google Alerts, Yahoo
Alerts, or MonitorThis.
• Ensure that your service representatives join online,
private, forums and „lurk‟ for issues

24.
Business etiquette
• Set clear expectations as to what staff can do with your
brand name on the internet
• Never post a hot and angry response to a negative
comment online.
• Don‟t exercise legal muscle to have a blog post or other
message taken down unless you really have to
• Respond to a negative comment with transparency and
honesty, but take up discussions off-line at a senior
level.
• Sometimes, leaving it lie is the best option.
• Never lie and pretend to be a customer – you will be
found out eventually, and the price will be high!

25.
Business etiquette
• Avoid a search
engine optimisation
solution to „drown‟ a
negative comment
• Invite genuine
customers to respond
in a forum
• Ensure that potential
recruits know if you
are researching them
online

26.
For individuals
• Bring the common sense that is used in the „real‟ world
into the „virtual‟ world.
• Never post in your real name – set up three email
addresses:
• Personal, anonymous email address that forwards to
your main email
• Personal (for all your personal email)
• Work (for work email – no personal email!)
• Be responsible when writing messages on other people‟s
sites
• Get permission before you post a photo of someone
online

27.
For individuals
• Only „friend‟ friends!
• Be coy about your age
• Use the privacy options available on social networking
websites
• Limit the sites you participate in – perhaps FaceBook for
friends, LinkedIn for work colleagues?
• Limit the number of applications (for example, („Which
Princess are you?‟) you „accept‟ on social networking
websites.
• Set up Google Alerts to monitor your name and email
address

29.
What is OSN being used for by
business?
• Increased professional contacts, exposure to new ideas
• Use the network to recruit new employees
• Allow new-hires to mix with current employees
• It is good when customers say positive things about the
business
• Online reputation monitoring & proactive customer
support

31.
Maintaining client relationships
Support forums
– Customers can answer their own problems online
– Customers can help each other
– Become aware of issues much sooner
– Proactive support e.g. Direct2Dell
Wikis
– Customers can answer their own problems online
– Self-documenting
– Save on publishing costs and corrections

33.
Research and development
Brand monitoring
– Understand the reach and impact of your brand
– Know what is being said in the „hearts and minds‟ and
be more reactive
Research communities
– Share and build ideas within internal and external
communities to test their value
Innovation communities
– Users can provide recommendations for new features
– Communities of users can vote on new features to
guide product or feature development

40.
Fifty ideas (some might even be good!)
The final 12
39. Use FriendFeed to „stalk‟ research 45. Use Web 2.0/OSN to communicate
the activities of your competitors & monitor your delivery of strategy
40. Use OSN to help telecommuters 46. Use Twitter to turn the coffee
feel more connected machine on in the staff room before
41. Create an @fakecompetitor on you get to work
Twitter.... naw, just kidding 47. Use QIK to broadcast AGMs
42. Use Yammer to cut down on 48. Publish your delivery
„group emails‟ across the routes/pipelines/infrastructure
enterprise assets on Google Maps
43. Create a mashup website of your 49. Replace your client newsletters with
product, newsfeed, Google Mapos an online social network
and retailers 50. Keep looking out for what things you
44. Research a client‟s personal can use online social networking for!
needs and target accordingly